Chapter 2: Disappearance
Three years had passed quietly with the family living in peace, unaware of the dangers that lurked outside their quietly run country. There was enough food and money for all and all enjoyed the life they held each day. Though it was calm even under the most peaceful scene can be the darkest storm clouds, just waiting to emerge and take over to destroy. Sophia, now twenty-seven, stayed at home mostly to take care of Alura and their garden. As Nate, now twenty-six, worked in the merchant shops moving heavy items and getting good pay. Their life was good and seemed perfect for raising their only daughter. She was expecting another though, which made Alura very happy and excited about having a baby brother or sister.
It was a cool fall day, the wind gentle and warm on young Alura’s face as she ran around laughing and playing in the leaves that had fallen from the baring trees. Sophia watched her silently on a bench in Flora’s park, smiling and laughing as Alura played making different sound effects. Sighing Sophia leaned her head back closing her eyes, relaxing as the warm wind washed over her softly like a gentle kiss. Opening her blue eyes she noticed the air fell still. An uneasy feeling settled in her causing her to quickly jerk upwards and look around, seeing Alura standing silently still, staring out towards the forest she was born in.
Everything had fallen into an unnerving silence of death, giving warning that danger was not far off. Quickly Sophia stood and ran over to Alura, kneeling down by her and looked out towards the forest some miles away. A gasp escaped Sophia’s mouth as her eyes widened and her body acted in one swift movement. She picked up Alura, turned on her heels, and ran as fast as she could away from the forest and park they were in. Birds flew up into the sky making a racket with chirps and beating wings. Once the sound ceased another sound started to appear, the sound of heavy metal nearing closer with heavy footsteps. Alura’s eyes widened in fear as she gasped scared, but curious of what she saw over her mother’s shoulder: men in heavy black armor and large weapons on their shoulders ready for use.
Tanks came out from behind the men in black armor ready to fire, taking aim at the running mother with her three year old daughter and unborn child. “Mommy!” she shouted as a cannon fired. The large bullet whistled above them and fell, exploding with great power that tore the land apart.
Sophia screamed pushing her daughter’s head down, shielding Alura’s face from the flying debris as they flew forwards and landed hard on the ground due to the force of the explosion. Once the dust settled Sophia slowly stood and ran once more, panting with Alura crying in her arms terrified. “Nate! Nate!” Sophia screamed at the top of her lungs in fear and horror at what had come to their peaceful land.
Nate quickly turned from their garden and ran to her, seeing small cuts and dirt on her from protecting Alura. “What happened? What’s going on?” Quickly he asked but without her speaking got his answer as the sound, of the tanks and men nearing filled the air. Quickly he wrapped an arm around Sophia and led her towards their home. Going inside, he leading her down into the cellar and closed the doors above them. “Stay here. Don’t leave no matter what you hear.” He ordered in the dark space.
“Nate, don’t go out there. Stay here. I don’t want to lose you!” Sophia cried grabbing his arm with her free hand looking at him with desperate eyes. She could tell he was going to return to fight or do something to the soldiers.
“Sophia…” he whispered gently touching her hand to comfort her. “I’ll be fine. Just stay here. I don’t want our daughter or unborn child to die. I want them to live and you to live. So please, listen to me and stay here. You have my word that I’ll return.” He softly kissed her lips with his and brushed away a tear that slid down her cheek from her blue eyes. “You have my word that I will return.” He told her to reassure and quiet her fears though he wasn’t sure he would return to her alive. He shifted his eyes away from hers then moved his hands away, reaching up to remove a necklace that held a clear teardrop stone that hung from inside, what appeared to be, four leaves of a flower. Nate placed it around Sophia’s neck and softly kissed her lips. “This will assure that I return to you. Just wait for me. I will return.” He assured her once more before slipping away from her hand. His fluid turn then steps lead his form up the stairs and out, closing the cellar door behind him.
Alura looked up at her mother’s silently crying face with tears falling. Alura hugged Sophia to comfort her wishing she could do something but could not. “It’s okay Mommy. Daddy will be okay. He’s strong, right?” she asked looking up with her innocent child eyes. Sophia looked down and nodded, hugging her gently, staying silent while praying Nate would return to them safely.
Outside the battle had grown as storm clouds neared overhead to block the warm sun. Guns fired and swords clanged as the battle raged, moving to favor the men in black and the heavy artillery they possessed. Looking around Nate quickly ran, grabbing a sword off a corpse and swung at any he could. He was not doing damage to most but was able to get through their forces easier with his quick inhuman speed. Slowly his skin began to darken, smoke rising as though it was burning. His hair grew longer and became blacker than the darkest night, as his eyes became a sharp deadly yellow with red pupils like that of a demon beast. Fangs grew as his body changed, becoming larger as black wings shot from his back, ripping and tearing his shirt allowing him to take flight and attack the forces from above. Flames formed and shot from his mouth, burning and melting the armor of the men and tanks.
Their dying cries brought a dark evil grin across his sinister face. Chuckling he let out an evil cackle to fill the air of the burning ground, and flesh of the men and any that were not bright enough to have ran away. The enemy backed up and retreated back towards the forest where their airship waited. The men feared death and would not dare sacrifice themselves for a land that could not be conquered easily. The men did not make it five miles before Nate landed grinning and chuckling, enjoying the smell of death and ash while seeing the look of horror upon his prey’s face. The men collapsed begging for their lives bowing low to the ground. This only made Nate laugh more before breathing flames out of his mouth onto the pleading men, to hear their dying screams and seeing their futile attempt to escape the flames brought him a sick joy.
Turning Nate could see dust flying as the tanks came. This only made him grin wider as his skin became darker with a few black spikes forming out of his skin. Slowly he stepped towards them moving into a run then leaped up into the sky sending down three fire balls at the tanks destroying most of them, before a large bullet flew up slamming him in the side. Starting to fall he recovered, growling as blood poured from the large side wound that threatened his life if not stopped. “Insignificant humans. DIE!” he growled screaming in a rough, deeper voice. Flames shot up from the ground like volcanos from his screech, killing anything it hit instantly and melting anything it touched as well. Twenty minutes passed before he landed in the center of his flames taking pleasure in his work of the enemy human’s demise.
From above three men watched wearing many jewels and clothing only Gods were allowed to wear. Sighing one nodded with dark red hair to another with blue hair. The blue haired man sighed looking with hurt eyes and slowly began to chant a spell to seal Nate away for all eternity. The ground shifted below Nate’s feet confusing him but quickly became clear once shackles shot up locking around his wrists, ankles and neck, then more chains rose to wrap around his struggling body. The chains began to glow red, black, and blue to slowly start forming a crystal structure around Nate, sealing him deep inside the thick crystal.
The trio watched the crystal form and come to finish after a few short minutes. The red haired man raised one hand lifting the crystal prison up into the air, and closed his hand swiftly causing the crystal vanished into thin air. The three vanished and rain gently fell from the clouds above, putting out the fire and showing the destruction left behind from Nate, who had lost control to his inner demon that had been eating him alive from the inside.
Back closer to the town Sophia slowly left the cellar and their home to see what had happened, due to the silence that was deafening to the eardrums. Alura walked up to her mother’s side holding onto her dress scared. Sophia overlooked the burnt land filled with corpses and destruction. “Why did this happen to us? Why? What did these men want?” she asked herself softly as the rain fell sympathetically upon them and others, who still lived and had hidden inside their homes to only come out now.
“Mommy what did those people want?” Alura asked her softly, looking up sadly after tugging on her dress. “Where’s Daddy?” Sophia didn’t answer staying quiet for a minute with eyes glued to the landscape. After some silent moments she looked down to her daughter, kneeled and held her close in a warm comforting hug.
“Daddy is fine, I’m sure. He’ll return some day to us. I do not know what those people wanted but the main thing is they are stopped and won’t hurt anyone again.” She did her best to have confidence in her voice, wanting to show the child she was safe like the rest of Flora.
“Did Daddy stop them?” The curious child’s voice asked with wide eyes gazing into Sophia’s after pushing her body back some.
“….Yes honey he did.” Sophia answered after hesitating and brought onto her face a kind small smile.
“Yay! Daddy is so strong! I want to be strong like him!” Alura cheered happily. Sophia released the girl fully, watching as she began running around in the rain and the muddy ground, cheering and laughing. She was happy it was over but as Sophia watched her daughter, something told her it was only beginning and would only become worse over the coming years. Reaching a trembling hand up, her delicate fingers softly wrapped around the necklace resting against her chest. Turning her gaze up to the raining, dark sky she could only feel sorrow and like something wasn’t right.
Eventually Sophia got her daughter to agree to come inside, tucking her into bed and stepped out to help other residents that came to get the bodies buried. They were the enemy but that didn’t mean they deserved mistreatment in their deaths. A spot was picked and graves dug as each was buried, their spots marked by rough, unmarked stone headstones.
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